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Joe Rangel and Jesse Manion, of Moses Lake, are modern-day prospectors. I met them scouting Peshastin Creek near Blewett Pass when I was out trying to learn more about where precious metals and gems occur in nature.

As it turns out, looks can be deceiving, both in the people you meet and where you hunt for gold.

While my new mentors seemed intimidating at first glance, they were delighted to share their wisdom while they dug sand from dry riverbank — a place I never would have thought about probing.

You have to think about how the river moves, explained Manion. “It takes the straightest route it can down the stream.” So you try to guess how it will deposit in little eddies and under big rocks.

Rangel’s eyes stared hawklike on his swishing pan as he told how he caught gold fever. He received a panning set for Father’s Day, and on his first outing, discovered a few flakes of gold and some red garnets.

Joe Rangel, of Moses Lake, shows off a vial filled with the gold flakes and red garnets he discovered on his very first prospecting weekend. (Jeff Layton photo)

After panning for a while, he scrambled around the riverbank looking for bedrock to split apart — a technique known as sniping. You’re looking for seams where gold will collect over time, he explained.

You want to find rust red layers in a rock. “They say redder is better. If you find some rocks that have quartz running through it, well that’s where the gold gets trapped.”

Them thar hills

Washington probably isn’t a state that comes to mind when you imagine gold rushes. But the gold strike of 1860 is a big reason Blewett Pass came to be.

Jesse Manion, of Moses Lake, talks about his gold-panning techniques on Peshastin Creek, near Blewett…